Case study: a critical reflection of implementing a nursing care plan for two hospitalized patients

328 July/August 2011 • Vol 2 No 6 • The Veterinary Nurse Within human nursing, models of nursing care feature heavily, with many texts and research papers devoted to the subject. Pearson et al (2005) suggest an interesting trajectory in their use in practice, with the initial scepticism surrounding their introduction in the 1970s soon giving way to a widespread adoption of them in both practice and education during the 1980s. However, more recently, there have been attempts by the human nursing literature to critically evaluate models of nursing care in the pursuit of ‘new perspectives on their use and implementation in practice, education and research’ (Wimpenny, 2002: 346). If it is assumed that models of nursing care within veterinary nursing might follow the same trajectory, at what point of this curve are we now on? A review of the literature would suggest a current gathering of momentum for veterinary nursing to ‘use them as a way of taking practice forward’ (Davis, 2007: 104). The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Awarding Body’s Veterinary Nursing Professional Syllabus (2010a) includes several learning outcomes pertaining to models of nursing and numerous journal articles have extolled their potential benefits (Joiner, 2000; Davis, 2006; Jeffery, 2006; Orpet and Jeffery, 2006; Cory 2007). However, there is much less focus in the veterinary nursing literature on critical analysis, discussion and evaluation of their implementation by veterinary nurses (VNs) in practice. The case study presented in this paper seeks to start to fill this gap in the veterinary nursing body of knowledge through critical reflection of designing and implementing a nursing care plan (NCP), based on a nursing model of care, in a veterinary referral hospital ward setting. The factors influencing the choice of this model will also be considered.